Genotypic and neuropathological characterization ofin striped dolphins () stranded along the coasts of Southern Italy

Source: PubMed Central Open Access, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine

is an emerging cause of neurologic disease in cetaceans. In the present study, we combined molecular detection, microsatellite genotyping, and neuropathology in stranded striped dolphins along the coasts of Campania and Calabria (Southern Italy). During the years 2018–2023, 93 cetaceans were necropsied. Brain tissues were screened forDNA by Real-Time PCR targeting the 529-bp repeat element; positive samples (Ct range 21–30) were genotyped using eight microsatellite markers (TUB2, W35, TgM-A, B18, B17, M33, IV.1 and XI.1) and compared with reference strains by hierarchical clustering. Histology and immunohistochemistry (IHC) forwere performed on available brains.DNA in the brain was detected in 12/93 cetaceans; all positive cases were striped dolphins (). Genotyping revealed two genotypes, with GII in 10/12 dolphins and GIII in 2/12. In 10 evaluable cases, lesions ranged from mild non-suppurative meningitis/meningoencephalitis to severe necrotizing encephalitis. IHC was positive in 7/10 positive cases; tissue cysts were observed in proximity to lesions in the more severely affected brains. These findings document the circulation of multiplegenotypes in pelagic dolphins from Southern Italy, supporting the land-to-sea transmission hypothesis and confirming the value of striped dolphins as sentinels of terrestrial pathogens from a One Health perspective.